UC Santa Barbara takes pride in its beautiful beachfront location on the bluffs above the sand — but owning property directly on the coast comes with risk.

The Carsey-Wolf Center presents a series of lectures that tackle the problem of sea level rise and what – if anything – can be done about. The first episode gathers a variety earth science and architectural experts to examine what might happen to Santa Barbara and other shorelines as sea levels rise.

The bluffs have been slowly eroding since the beginning of their existence, but what happens as the sea levels rise more quickly due to global warming? What options are there to avoid massive destruction? Should we build large or larger defensive sea walls or will we be forced to retreat from the crumbling cliffs?